Lubricating system for gas-engines



H. H. WILBURN & F. E. BUTLER. LUBRIQATING SYSTEM FOR GAS ENGINES. APPLICATION nun MAY 1, 191'4.

1,194,453. PdtentedAug 15,1916.

H ruavumanarvvnxu UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUGH H. WILBURN, or coupon, oitneoiq, AND FREDERICK n. Bonnie, or LEWISTOWN,

' mmo;

LUBRICATING sYs'r'nM roncas-nnemns.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

Application filed May 7, 1914. Serial No. 836,948.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,'HUcH H. WILBURN, a citizen of the United States,-residing in the city of Condon, county of Gilliam, State of Oregon, and FREDERICK EBnTnnn, a-citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Lewistown, county of Nez Perce, State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Lubricating Systems for Gas-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to lubricating systems and is more particularly adapted to those in which the lubricant is in the form of a fluid and is distributed by thesplash Among the salient objects of the invention are to provide alubricating system wherein there is maintained a constant level in the chamber from which the lubricant is splashed; -to provide a storage supply of lubricant at a level above that of the level of 'th'elubricant in the splash chamber; to regulate the flow of the liquid from the storage chamber to the splash chamber andvice the-"relative air pressures in said chambers; to provide a construction wherein the relative air pressures are varied by changing the pressure in the storage chamber independent of the pressure in the splash chamber whereby the latter may be, 11 desired, open to atmospheric pressure; to obtain the necessary suction in the storage chamber by connecting the air space directly to the intake of the engine; to regulate the admission of air 'to the storage chamber by i the level of the lubricant in the splash chamber; to provide separate air and lubricant conduits betweenthe storage chamber and splash chamber; toprovide means for the convenient observation of the lubricant level in the splash chamber; to employ the same gage or stand glass through which the lubricant level is observed for observing the lower;

ends of the air and lubricant conduits leading to the splash chamber from the storage.

improved lubricating system of the type mentioned, in'which the operations will be controlled by the normal functions of the gas engine.

The invention further resides in the novel;

arrangement and combination of parts and various featuresof construction hereinafter setforth.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation', partly in section, of a multicylinder gas engine, to which our improved lubricating system is applied. Fig.2 is an enlarged sectional view of the storage chamber showin the conduit connections therefor. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the gage or stand glass. I

In the drawings an embodiment of our invention is shown applied to a 4-cylinder engine, in which the cylinders 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 are cast in pairsrespectively. l

A lubricant storage chamber 5 is mounted upon the engine by any suitable means such as the bracket 6. As shown in Fig. 1 chamber 5 is mounted upon the left hand sideof the engine and the air space in said chamber is connected to the intake manifold 7 by means of the pipe 8 leading through the space between the pairs of cylinders. For

observation ofthe oil level-we employ a gage or stand glass 9 which may be of any standard construction and is secured to the crank case 10 by means of a screw threaded nipple 11. This gage or stand glass 9 is preferably located sufliciently low on the.

crank case to bring the lubricant level 12 above the plane of the lower end of the glass portion 13 of the gage or stand glass 9. In-

asmuch as the crank case and the gage or stand glass are in open communication their levels will correspond and the depth of the lubricant can be readily observed through the stand glass on the exterior of the crank The storage chamber comprises the main body ortion 14, the fillerspace 15, which is provi ed with suitable filler plug 16, the outlet nipple 17, and the cap 18. which closes the upper end of the tank and carries the air conduit fittings. The connection between the air space 19 of the storage chamber and the inlet manifold is made through the nipple 20, which is connected to the conduit 8 by suitable coupling member 21. The cap member 18 is provi ed with a second coupling member 22, which places theair space i lubricant space'24 ofthe glass by conduit 25 leading from the nippic 17-.

In order to prevent the direct flow of the lubricant to the crank case when the storage tank is being filled and is in open communication with the atmosphere through the removal of the filler plug 16, a shut-off valve 26 is provided in the coupling member 27 which connects the nipple 17 with the'con-- duit 25. Ingress of airinto the air space 19 through the pipe 8 is' prevented by the check valve 28 which is normally held to fts seat by light coil spring 30. Thei-efore, after filling the tank 5 with lubricant the only path through which the air can-enter the,

space 19 is through the vent 31 in the top of the gage/or stand glass 9; thence through the opening32 in the lower end of the'conduits 8,23 and 25 suitably connected thereto. The threaded nipple 11 of the elbow 4O duit 23 and upward through said conduit and the nipple 22 into the air space 19, Conduit 25 through which the lubricant passes from the storage tank to the gage or stand glass is provided with'an open end 33 preferably terminating in the same horizontal plane as the opening 32 in the conduit 23; the lower end of each of these conduits terminating in substantially the plane of the desired oil level in the crank case 10. i-

In assembling the parts the storage chamber 5is secured to the engine casing through the medium of the bracket 6 and the conof the gage or stand glass is screwed into an opening provided in the lower portion of the crank case, the glass 13 and cap 34 placed imposition and secured in their mounted position by means of the nut 35 engaging the securing bolt 36. The lower portions of the pipes 23 and 25 extend through the cap 34 and when positioned at the proper level are held inyplace by means ofstufling boxes 37 and 38f When properly assembled the lubricatlng system operates in the following manner:, The filler plug 16 is removed and Oll permitted to flow into the storage chamber 14,

and through the pipe 25, stand glass 9 and nipple 11 into the crank case, and the operator can readily observe through the-glass 13 when the level of lubricant desired in the crank case is reached. Upon observing the lubricant at the desircdievel, the shut-off valve 26 is adjusted to close the connection between the nipple 2. and the pipe 25, thereby preventing further flow of lubrlcant to the crank case. The storage tank is then filled to bring the 'level or" the lubricant therein above the edge 39, thereby shutting off the air in the space 19 from that 1n the filler space 15. Upon completion of the fill- ,chamber 1% permitting bricant through conduit 25 into'the stand chamber will ing operation the plug 16 is replaced and the valve 26 opened. However, the lubricant will not continue to flow since the lower ends 32 duits 23 and-2 5 are closed from any atmospheric communication by the lubricant. During the operation of the engine a certain portion-of the lubricant in the crank case is splashed, to the various working parts ofthe motor, thus reducing the level in the bottom of the crankcase and when this level recedes to a point below the openings32 and 33 the conduits'23 and.25 will be open to the air which passing through the conduit 23 will replace some of the lubricant inthe the discharge of In glass 9 and thence into-the'crank case 10.

' When suflicientlubricant has passed from thetank l4 to the, crank case to bringthe level of the l-atter'and the stand glass above the plane of the'iopen ends of the conduits 23 and'25 the air space 19 of the storage chamber will again be shut or from communication with the atmosphere and further discharge of lubricant into the crank case prevented. r I

p In theoperation of the engine a portion'of the lubricant removed by the splash pockets willhave-returned to the'crank case, and this together with the additional lubricant which has been supplied from thevstorage tend to raise the level of the lubricant higher than that proper for efiicient and economical use. In order to avoid the excessive rise of the lubricantfin the crankcase, provision is made for drawing back into the chamber a portion of the lubricantin the crankcase. v This is preferably accomplished connecting the airspace 19 of-the storage chamber with the intake manifold of the engine, so that upon the suction strokelubricant will be drawn upward vfromthe crank case 10' and the stand glass 9 through the conduit 25 into the oil space 24 of the storage chamber. lubricant level in the crank case 10 and stand glass 9 will continue in this manner until the level reaches the lower ends of the conduits 23 and 25, and any lowering beyond this point by the suction of the engine will be prevented by theunsealing of the opening ,32 1n the air pipe 23 after which air will flow upinto the airspace 19 in the storagechamber anddisplace the lubricant which willvflow back into the crank case. It is obvious that in this manner the level of the lubricant in the crank case and the stand glass is maintained practically constant, and

that the operator can at any time .observe whether the level is at the desired polnt and if the lubricating system is operating properly. v 1 i In certain types of engines wherein the casing around the fly wheel isthe lowest into the crank caseand 33 of the con The lowering of the part and the lubricant is picked up by the fly wheel and distributed to the motor, it is considered desirable that the lubricant be supplied to the fly wheel casing from the reservoir only when the motor is not running. It is obvious that by proportioning the inlet and outlet conduits to the reservoir that suliicient vacuuimniay be maintained in the reservoir to prevent any substantial flow from the reservoir to the fly wheel casing while the engine is running.

It is obvious that various changes in const aiciion and combination of parts can be made, and we therefore do not desire to limit this invention except' as specified in the appended claims.

lVe claim-' a 1. In a lubricating system, the combination of lubricant chambers, one of said chain bers having its lubricant level above the plane of the lubricant level in the other chamber, means for reducing the pressure in the upper chamber to less than atmospheric pressure, a lubricant conduit connecting said "a lubricant level in the lower chamber.

2-. in a lubricating system, the combination of lubricant chambers having different lubricant levels, a stand glass in open commuflllalllbfils, and an air conduit also connecta her having the lower level.

3. In a lubricating system, the combination of lubricant chambers arranged at different levels, a. conduit leading from the chamber having the higher level to a suction producing means, an, air conduit in open communication with the space above the lubricant inthe chamber having the higher level, said air conduit having its lower end terminating in the plane of the desired lubricant level for the lower chamber, and a lubricant conduit connecting the two chambers.

HUGH H. WVILBURN; FREDERICK E. BUTLER.

Witnesses to signature of Hugh H. VVilburn:

JOHN P. Hess, O. B. ROBERTSON.

Witnesses to signature of Frederick E. Butler: i EWING WV. STEPHENS.

A. M. MCCLURE. 

